St. Louis city, Missouri Recording Fees
Recording a deed in St. Louis city costs about $28 and a mortgage about $98 (a 2-page deed ($23 + $5) and a 16-page deed of trust ($23 + 15 x $5), for a standard-format document), per the City of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds (St. Louis is an independent city, not part of any county, with its own Recorder)'s fee schedule. Per City Ordinance 69505 and the Recorder of Deeds' own published schedule: a standard-format deed or deed of trust is $23.00 for the first page plus $5.00 for each additional page; a non-standard document (one that does not meet Missouri's statutory formatting requirements) is billed at a higher $48.00 first-page rate, also plus $5.00 per additional page. Missouri's general statutory floor for non-charter counties (RSMo 59.310) is lower ($5 first page/$3 each additional page); the City of St. Louis, like the separate St. Louis COUNTY (a charter county, see the sibling missouri--st-louis-county.json file in this dataset), sets its own higher fee by local ordinance under its independent-city authority.
Fee schedule
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Deed, first page | $23 |
| Deed, each additional page | $5 |
| Mortgage, first page | $23 |
| Mortgage, each additional page | $5 |
| Non-standard document fee added if the document does not meet Missouri's statutory document-formatting standards, on top of the $48 nonstandard first-page rate | $25 |
County transfer tax
No City of St. Louis transfer tax. Missouri's Constitution (Article X, Section 25, adopted by voters Nov. 2, 2010) bars the state, counties, and other political subdivisions, including the independent City of St. Louis, from imposing any new tax on the sale or transfer of real estate. Missouri has no state, county or city real estate transfer tax at all (see data/transfer/missouri.json, has_tax false); recording fees above are the only city-set closing cost. Missouri transfer tax →
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to record a deed in St. Louis city?
$23 for the first page and $5 for each additional page, about $28 for a typical deed, per the City of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds (St. Louis is an independent city, not part of any county, with its own Recorder)'s fee schedule.
And the mortgage?
$23 for the first page and $5 per additional page, about $98 for a typical mortgage or deed of trust. The buyer pays this at closing.
Sources
Figures are computed from the documents above and rounded to the dollar. All sources.
St. Louis city closing costs → St. Louis city home buyer guide →
Fees as published by the recorder; e-recording and courier charges may apply. General information, not legal advice.
St. Louis city overview